Four Scars
by Von Gentleman
Summary: An incident on the multi line prompts Emmet to remember what Ingo has done for him— and why he no longer takes him for granted.


**Author's Notes: **This is a story from all the way back in November that I wrote for big brother's day. It moves slower than other ones I've written. Reading it again, I'm not so sure I like it, but I'm posting it anyway. Just a one-shot. Maybe someone will like it. Enjoy!

**FOUR SCARS**

"We're not sure," Emmet explains to a mechanic as some depot agents clear away passengers from the platform. "It just stalled mid-battle, and we felt it shake and jolt forward…" he trails off, biting his lip.

Every passenger and challenger had been checked to make sure they were not injured. While the train's stalling had been enough to make Emmet lose his balance, it was only enough to cause their teenage challenger to fall backward so he was involuntarily on his rump on the floor. As for the rest of the passengers, some had a few bumps and bruises, but nothing major.

Despite the fact, there is a well of anxiety progressively getting filled inside the younger train conductor. Emmet was going to add more to his explanation, but he finds that he can't speak, choosing to hide his feelings by swallowing his words and crossing his arms instead.

"As you know," Ingo finally begins, "Though the Battle Subway is our own creation, we are hardly mechanical engineers. That's why you're here. My brother and I have already checked the tracks."

Ingo referring to his younger twin as his _brother_ in a professional situation catches Emmet's attention. It's unusual; of course, everyone who works there, and indeed even first time challengers can recognize right away that the two are identical twins, blood relation. Common knowledge, of course, is not always explicated stated. Ingo only ever refers to him as _the fellow over to the side_ during battles or he addresses Emmet by his first name. Emmet's eyes search his twin, and for a brief moment, he catches his gaze and no longer needs an explanation. He can see that Ingo is concerned for him. Ingo knows he's shaken up, not so much by the incident itself, but from the memories it is stirring up inside of him. One short glance and one subtle reassurance of their relation tells Emmet that Ingo is here for him, that he understands his anxiety. The level of panic which had been nearing dangerously close to the brim suddenly begins to drain.

"However," Ingo begins as he starts to take off his coat and hat, "I'd like to have a look at any problems as well." It's his typical behavior. Even if Ingo is not an expert in someone else's field, he wants to see exactly what the problem is so he has first-hand knowledge of any issues without having to take anyone else's word for it to avoid uncertainty; and if it is dirty work, he would never allow Emmet to check it out, not in those white clothes of his. "We've already checked the tracks and found nothing on them. Therefore, it must be an issue with the train itself."

Without having to be asked, Cloud, one of the depot agents, reaches out to take Ingo's hat and coat. The mechanics they keep are constantly covered in dirt, so one look at the one assisting tells everyone that Ingo better leave his nice items behind. Emmet watches as Ingo loosens his tie with the depot agent taking it from him. As soon as he begins to remove his gloves, however, the younger twin looked away, and instead watches Cloud. He can clearly see one of Cloud's eyebrows raise before averting his gaze when he takes the gloves from Ingo.

Emmet knows he caught a glimpse of his brother's scars.

After waiting on the edge of the platform, yelling back and forth to the mechanic and Ingo who were beneath the engine, and giving orders to their staff to get a new engine to tug the old one back to Anville Town for repairs, Emmet sees Ingo and the mechanic reemerge after what's becoming close to an hour's time, his brother messy with dirt and grime on his face, all over his nice white shirt, and pieces of his hair hanging in his face.

"Thank you. That will be all," Ingo says as he commands Cloud—who had been holding half of Ingo's uniform the entire time—to come closer, reaching for his white gloves and pulling them back on his hands, despite the fact that they are still grimy with dirt and oil from having touched the underside of the train. The haste in which he moves isn't swift enough to prevent the mechanic from stealing a glance at the large, obvious scars on the older twin's palms.

"Here, let me carry the rest of that," Emmet suggests with a laugh, trying to distract the other two by taking the pile that Cloud was holding. "You're a mess, Ingo. I think it would be best if you went home and got a shower!"

…

Of course, after the incident with the train and still being so shaken up, Emmet had accompanied his twin home when Ingo agreed that he could not proceed with the day while being so dirty. Luckily, it's around their lunch break, so it isn't too much of a big deal to go home since they only live three blocks from Gear Station. With a cup of tea in hand as he rests curled up on the couch, Emmet feels much more at ease.

The sound of the water running through the pipes of their apartment, however, is enough to allow his mind to start wandering.

Though they are identical twins, there is one thing that easily sets them apart from each other: Ingo has scars on his body and Emmet does not. Each and everyone one had been received, in some way, to protect the younger twin.

The first one Emmet ever remembers Ingo getting is one that cannot even be seen.

Despite their imposing height, as children, the twins were quite small until they had their very first growth spurt around age twelve. Until then, they were easy targets for the older kids, mean kids, and bullies. Emmet can't exactly remember why, but for some reason, he was always the one to get the brunt of the teasing. Ingo wasn't as big of a target. If Emmet incorrectly answered a question in class, it was the gossip of the day among the eight year olds. If he lost a tooth and got a lisp as a result, he would be made fun of non-stop; and if he so much as displayed some affection toward Ingo, giving him a kiss on the cheek or a tight hug, he was teased for it. Nothing went by without scrutiny from his peers.

On the double lines, when Emmet gets challenged by youngsters, it's sometimes easy to forget just how cruel children can be; especially to one another.

Nevertheless, there was never a day that went by where he was picked on and Ingo didn't come to his defense. Emmet recalls one day in particular when he had been backed up and cornered by an eleven year old, getting pushed and shoved, kicked, and called names until, suddenly, there were pebbles pelting the wall he was backed up against. When the older kid turned around to see what was happening, Ingo had hit the bully square in the face with one of his pebbles. More were thrown, though Ingo completely missed his target most of the time, and the kid who had been picking on Emmet was instantly furious and targeted Ingo instead. Being much bigger than both of them, it was easy for the bully to hold Ingo down and land punches. Just as a teacher came running out of the school to break them up, the last punch landed on Ingo's face.

Emmet remembers how much Ingo was crying, how he couldn't walk straight, how he had to hold onto him the entire way back to the nurse's office. Being hit right in the mouth, his teeth split part of his lip from the inside. The paper towels that he held to his face became bloody instantly. Over the next few days, Emmet held an icepack to Ingo's lip to keep the swelling down. The two of them and the bully had been suspended for a week because of the fight, even though Emmet was only picked on and did not fight back; the younger twin had lied so he could be out of school with his brother and take care of him while he healed. Ingo's lip had sealed up just fine, but there was a tiny scar on the inside of it that he showed his younger brother about a month later, a few thin white jagged lines over some thicker scar tissue where the wound had healed; and though it isn't something that he ever really sees anymore, there is the occasional reminder that the little scar exists when Ingo accidentally bites the inside of his bottom lip while he's chewing something too quickly, always blaming the extra layers of scar tissue for the interference.

Emmet shifts slightly on the couch, placing his half-empty cup on the table to lie down and close his eyes as he thinks about the second scar Ingo got.

When they were sixteen, Ingo and Emmet were easily the tallest kids in school. Not too many people dared to pick fights with them anymore. They were both imposing, but Ingo was especially known for being tough. One of those 'bad boys' that all the girls wanted and all the guys hated but secretly wanted to be; now that Emmet thinks of it, he's pretty sure there were a handful of guys who wanted Ingo too. Both of them had the reputation, but Ingo was somehow known as the 'baddy.' He was already smoking cigarettes, and by that time, had started frowning almost constantly. Emmet recalls that their hairstyles were essentially the opposite of how they are now; back then, Ingo had short hair and Emmet had longer hair, but they seemed to suit each other at the time, at least. Considering they both had athletic builds and were the captains of their fencing team, it was considered a death wish to confront either of them; but stupid people always had a way of turning up and starting trouble.

To this day, Emmet isn't exactly sure what the poor idiot said about him, but apparently Emmet had been insulted and Ingo was not going to let him get away with it. What he does remember is seeing Ingo elbow the fool in the eye socket, punch his jaw hard enough to dislocate it, and kick the slob in the ribs at least once. However, all it took was one shove in the wrong direction to incapacitate Ingo.

As they fought just outside the parking lot, Ingo lost his balance when he was pushed toward the splintering, rotting telephone pole, which had been lopsided for months. Falling in the worst possible spot, Ingo's leg scraped full force onto a sharp rusty nail that was sticking out, intent on inflicting damage. It cut deeply from just behind his knee up toward the middle of his thigh on a crooked angle, leaving the older twin stunned from the pain.

A punch to the offender's face, courtesy of Emmet, ended the fight before he helped Ingo to a clinic to get it looked at. His older brother tried to be tough about it, he really did, but for as rough as he was on the outside, the fact that he had to get a tetanus shot and stitches was enough to make him cry. Emmet held his hand the entire time, feeling how Ingo's grip went from tight and petrified to weak and pathetic while Emmet's free hand brushed away the tears from his brother's face.

The sound of the bathroom door opening can be heard, steam pouring out into the hallway as Ingo emerges with a towel around his waist. Emmet's eyes immediately fall to the four-inch long scar on the back of his right leg.

There are a few beats of silence before Ingo apologizes. "Sorry. I forgot to bring my change of clothes into the bathroom with me."

"No, no, it's fine, Emmet laughs, waving him off. "You wouldn't want them to get wet anyway."

Ingo nods in response, his hand clutching the knot of the towel around his waist. "If you'll excuse me." With that, he is in his bedroom, door clicking behind him as it shuts.

Emmet sits up, taking his cup of tea and sipping at it slowly, finishing the drink before he's off to collect the dirty clothes from the hamper in the bathroom. Normally, he isn't the one doing the laundry but he somehow feels compelled to today as he contemplates the injuries his older brother sustained on his behalf.

The first two scars are ones Emmet can think about without feeling too guilty over them; sure, at the time Emmet felt terrible about his brother's injuries and the scars they left behind. Over time, he was able to reason them out with himself. Ingo didn't _have_ to fight for him. Kids get into fights and it's not unusual to get a scar from something that happened during one's childhood, after all. Resorting to violence when Emmet was insulted was Ingo's own doing. It's not like he _asked_ Ingo to get involved and fight on his behalf. Emmet was sympathetic toward his brother's reasoning behind getting involved, but he didn't beat himself up over it. Of course, he does feel a little bad about the marks left behind in that they were blemishes on his otherwise perfect skin.

It's the scars on the palms of Ingo's hands—the most recent ones—that have power over Emmet. They are the ones that make his stomach churn. They are the ones that tell him it's his fault they're there. And they are the ones that make him no longer take his twin for granted.

Emmet can't remember all the details of what happened. What he does remember is how he had been waiting in the seventh and last car of the double line. It was a slower day and not too many trainers made it to his car, seeming to be especially inexperienced. That's what the double lines were for after all, to weed out the weak trainers before giving them a real challenge on the super double line, and the same is true for the single and multi counterparts. Winning against Emmet on the regular double line was indeed an accomplishment, but the super lines are what really determined whether a trainer was strong.

Whatever did happen that day was not a simple mechanical malfunction, not like today. What happened then was clearly criminal activity, based on the investigations that were carried out; however, to this day, no one had been caught.

There was a loud boom. The cars jostled and the lights flickered again and again until they were out, just as Emmet was when he was thrown and hit his head.

According to reports that he read later, Emmet understood that the trainers followed the emergency exit instructions and made their way to the front of the stopped train, filing out and running the rest of the way through the tunnel, following the lights that were positioned every hundred feet. Luckily, the train had stalled not too far from Gear Station. There were injuries, but everyone's pokémon helped to get each person out of there. Unbeknownst to the trainers, Emmet was passed out in the very last car, which happened to stall over the device which had started a small fire, quickly engulfing the car.

Word spread of the explosion as fast as the fire was spreading. Across from the double line platform was the multi line platform, where Ingo had been waiting for Emmet, conversing with two depot agents. He was missing parts typical of his uniform; his hat, coat, and gloves, were all drying in the office, having previously gotten wet thanks to a battle on the single line when a water type used waterfall, on his chandelure. When the explosion happened, loud enough to be heard from where they were, the train conductor physically flinched. Ingo immediately radioed the control center, inquiring if anything showed up on the sensors and was told about what appeared to be a fire, according to the control room monitor. There was no time to go to the control room and see for himself what had happened. He was on the double line tracks, running as fast as he could in the direction of the tunnel just as trainers began to appear. The depot agents called for emergency assistance, for ambulances and the fire department. Those were all services that Ingo could not wait for, however.

Thank goodness that Emmet had asked Ingo to pick up his archeops from the pokémon center earlier that day. The smoke started to get thick and Ingo began coughing. He released Emmet's archeops and commanded it to fan the smoke away so they could make their way through the tunnel without inhaling too much smoke. At any moment, he was expecting Emmet to come running from the opposite direction.

He did not appear.

When he saw the last car of the double train on fire, his heart started pounding, a hot and cold sensation running through his veins, up into his head. Whatever it was that took over him in that moment defied logic, reason, or indeed, his own usual speed and strength. It made him jump in through the emergency escape, run through all six cars until he reached the burning seventh, put his hands on the viciously hot metal door handle, not caring for a moment that he had burned his hands. He pushed his way through the entrance to the car, picked up his twin who was passed out on the floor, and ran out of the train and tunnel with him as fast as his legs would carry him.

Of course, Emmet recalls none of this. He wasn't conscious when he was rescued from the burning train, nor was he conscious when his brother gave him mouth-to-mouth until the paramedics arrived to take over.

All Emmet remembers is waking up with his brother beside him, letting out strangled cries when his burned hands were getting treated; how he had to take off work for more than a week so he could take the oxycodone he was prescribed safely. Being zonked out on the medication, hardly able to walk straight was a sure indication that he wouldn't be able to perform his usual duties, and even with the heavy medication, it did not relieve his brother of the pain caused by the second degree burns. Emmet made a quick recovery from his smoke inhalation, but he had to take Ingo to a clinic every day to get his bandages changed by a medical professional. Given the pain he was in and the fact that the healing wounds would stick to the bandages, it was certainly not something that could be taken care of at home.

The younger twin stares at the dirty white gloves before throwing them into the wash along with the rest of Ingo's dirty clothes. Once he closes the lid to the wash, Ingo comes out of his room, fully dressed once more. He pauses, raising his invisible brows, and paces closer to him.

"You're actually doing a laundry?" Ingo teases, reaching up to ruffle Emmet's hair.

"Well, your clothes got all dirty, so I figured they could use a washing," Emmet shrugs, his voice soft and quieter than usual.

"I'd be surprised if those oils stains come out of that white." Ingo pauses and gazes at his twin. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah," Emmet murmurs. "That bit of engine trouble today just got me a little flustered, that's all."

Ingo sighs, placing a hand, currently uncovered by a glove, on Emmet's shoulder and coaxes him toward the couch, sitting beside him.

"You're thinking about _that_ again, aren't you?"

Slowly, Emmet reaches to take his brother's hand in his own, opening it so his palm is facing up in order for him to look at the scar it had. He does the same with his other hand and stares at them both. "Yeah. I guess…" he starts before trailing off and sighing. "I just feel like over the years, you've always been putting yourself on the line for me. And what do I do? I'm just a little shit. I complain about paperwork, I whine about chores, and sometimes I make us run late for work because I don't want to wake up so early in the morning."

Ingo watches his brother carefully before reaching up to brush some bangs out of his face. "Listen," he begins. "If you're thinking about that time again, you ought to know that you were in very real danger. A couple more minutes, and you would have succumbed to smoke inhalation. I would have been alone," he murmurs. "I'd never be able to handle that."

"I know it was serious. I know it wasn't my fault. But I hate how you got hurt trying to protect me. And that wasn't the only time it happened!"

"Shhhh…" Ingo hushes, leaning forward so he can continue stroking his hair. "Your life and well-being are far more important to me than any cosmetic damage I receive as a result trying to keep you safe. And," he adds, tilting Emmet's chin up so he can meet his gaze, "I know that, had our positions been reversed, you would have done the same for me."

"Of course I would," Emmet affirms.

"And that's all that's important."

"I just feel like I don't adequately show you how much I love and appreciate you and all the things you've done for me. You're really the best big brother anyone could ever ask for." Emmet pauses to bite his bottom lip before sniffing and continuing. "E-even if you're only five minutes older, you're still the best."

Ingo listens to all Emmet has to say before smiling slightly. He leans forward to kiss him on the forehead and ruffles his hair once more.

"Thank you, Emmet. It means a lot to me."

Emmet gives his twin one more hug before he's interrupted with a rare, soft chuckle from Ingo. "Brother?"

"If we keep hugging like this, we're going to be late getting back to work. Come on. Let's get going."

[[End]]


End file.
